RWBY: Shadows of War
by Atlas Ultima
Summary: After waking up from a coma, a cybernetic human named Atlas wakes up to a different world that is unlike his. After meeting a professor in Vale, he's offered to enroll at Beacon Academy. However, his past life begins to come back to haunt him not long after he arrives. Though, reunited with his best friend and being in a team with three other students, will he be able to escape it?
1. Prologue

**Hello, fellow readers! So, yet another story and this time, we're back on RWBY.**

 **Now before I forget, this is gonna have some Metal Gear Rising themes, as in my OC in this story is gonna have a backstory and stuff that is in a similar fashion to MGR.**

 **And I do have a team that I have had in my previous attempt at a RWBY story. So yeah, this is gonna be a second attempt at this with the same team. The characters in the team, besides my own, was created by three friends of mine. When I introduce them, I will tell you who created who.**

 **As for when does this story take place in the lore of RWBY, it actually doesn't. This is separate from the series, like a spin-off in a way. As for the villains, this story will have a completely different villain as the main focus with the White Fang being in somewhat of a secondary role. What do I mean by that? Well, you'll have to wait and see.**

 **So, without further ado, let's get started!**

 **Prologue: Awakening**

 _"Rebooting all systems, engaging "Atlas"._

 _I awoke to the sound of a computer voice as I opened my eyes, seeing the screen of my visor giving me the view of my surroundings. It appears that I'm in some sort of casket shaped tube with a small rectangular window that has enough space to see through. I was able to move, feeling stiff at first, to see through the window. But, I was only able to see through it for a second before the entire front of the casket started to move. Slowly, but it was opening off to the side as I stared. Still stiff, I moved my feet to walk out of the casket and onto the concrete floor below. I then stretched my entire body to get rid of the stiffness, simply bending and straightening my muscles. When I finished, I looked around to see my surroundings._

The strange cyborg was only at the height of an average teen at 17 years old, if not slightly taller. The teen had brown hair, medium short in length, pale skin and a thin beard. His eyes were covered by a black visor that also covered the majority of his face except his mouth and jaw. He was also wearing a black carbon fiber suit that covered his entire body from his neck to his feet with a black sheath on his back for his sword angled for his right hand to grab the handle, which was also black in color.

 **(His suit is based on Genji's carbon fiber skin from Overwatch, except instead of the helmet, he's wearing Raiden's visor from Metal Gear Rising without the ridiculous metal jaw. Now that you know, let's continue.)**

He sees through his visor that the room he is currently in has very little light. All he could see in the light was a mountain of rocks the size of boulders in front of him as he looks around, seeing that the roof does have a large hole. However, the hole has the mountain of boulders blocking it. He looks around to see the walls having large cracks and pieces of steel doors under some of the rocks. Seeing no other way out, he hesitantly decided to move one of the rocks to make an opening. It was heavy, but he managed to move it enough to make a few boulders fall down. He moves away and waits for the rocks to stop before climbing up.

He manages to make it out after a bit and stood there to catch his breath before he started to walk off, only to then step on a bouquet of dead flowers. He was confused at that, only for his thoughts to be interrupted by a loud honking sound. He looks in the direction of the sound to see a cargo truck drive by on the dirt road a few yards away.

Quick into motion, he sprinted in the direction of the moving truck and given the speed he was going, easily caught up to it. Reaching the back of the truck, he unlocked and opened the door to then hop inside. He closed the door and looked around, seeing about half of the truck is filled with boxes of clothes as he walks a bit. He then opened a couple of them to see what is inside. Three boxes sparked his interest as he then removes his sheath off his back and puts it on the floor as he gets the clothes he likes.

Now, he is also wearing a black leather hoodie and black camo pants with a brown leather belt. Knowing that he doesn't need shoes and a shirt, thanks to his suit, he zips up his hoodie before reattaching his sheath on his back, staying on like it was a magnet. Now bored, he then turns around to face the door and sat down where he stood.

"Now to wait until this truck reaches its destination to..." The teen said to himself before realizing what he was doing, "Wait, I just came back to life after who knows how long and here I am, climbing out of holes in the ground and hitching rides on the back of cargo trucks. "

The teen then laid down as he tried to recall what happened before he went into a... coma, basically. "Ugh, I hate it when I can't remember things, all just a haze. There was... blood... the sounds of blades colliding... and-" He said before feeling the truck hit a bump in the road, making him lose his train of thought.

"Ugh, whatever. Hell, I forgot how long it was before changing my name to Atlas." The teen, now known as Atlas, just laid there as the truck kept on moving.

 **Transition!**

In a peaceful and busy city, people were very active with their daily routines as the day shined with an autumn sun and the trees had beautiful leaves with the shades of red, orange and brown. One of the trees that is placed next to the street had a leave fall to the ground as a cargo truck drove by. The truck then turned to the right to enter a parking lot and parked near a simple clothing store. The driver then got out and went to open the cargo door, only to see it already unlocked. Wondering if he actually did lock it, it suddenly opened from the inside and a strange person exits out.

He looks at the driver and spoke, "Thanks for the ride, sir."

The driver was basically frozen as the stranger walks off to exit the parking lot and into the city.

Taking in the sights, Atlas was impressed. It had tall buildings with rather traditional roads, having an interesting mix of past and modern. He did notice that people looked at him as he passed by, but simply shrugged it off as he walked.

One man in particular actually stopped and looked at him for a second before he spoke, "Excuse me."

Atlas looked back at him before turning around, seeing no one else looking at the man before turning back. "Me?"

"Yes. You don't seem to be from around here, are you?" The man asked.

The man was middle aged with tousled gray hair, thin brown eyes, a light complexion to his skin, and strangely had black eyebrows. He wore shaded glass spectacles and a green cowl around his neck with a small, purple, crossed shaped pin. His outfit consisted of an unzipped black suit over a buttoned up vest, a green shirt, long dark green pants, and black trouser shoes. He also had an unique cane that he held the tip against the ground. He actually wasn't leaning on it, probably just has it for style. He was also holding a coffee mug in his other hand as he stood there.

"Yeah. How did you know?" Atlas questioned.

"Well, it's not often you see a person with cybernetics." The man answered rather bluntly.

Atlas was surprised at his bluntness, even though he didn't change his tone. "I see. If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

"My name is Ozpin. And you are?"

"Atlas."

He then gestured for Atlas to walk with him, which he accepted. "Tell me, where are you from?"

"Let's just say that I'm new here at... uh..." Atlas answered, not knowing the location.

"You are currently in Vale, one of many cities in the world of Remnant."

"I see. Where are you from?"

"Vale." He answered, a smirk on his face as he sipped his coffee.

"I expected as much, since you would recognize a stranger. Judging by how nice you dress, I'm guessing you're a professor at a school?"

He lowers his mug from his lips, "Actually, yes. While I'm known as a professor, I'm actually the headmaster of Beacon Academy here in Vale."

"Really? What is Beacon Academy, some sort of private school?"

"Of sorts. The academy was constructed to teach future hunters and huntresses to protect the people and deal with threats that arise."

"Wow. Probably the best school to attend to. My school was boring as hell."

"They didn't teach you how to slay monsters at your school?"

"I wish. I was home schooled in a way, being in a war and all."

Ozpin was definitely intrigued at his answer, "War?"

"Yeah. See, where I was from, there was a war that was fighting for the liberation of cyborgs."

"Liberation for cyborgs?"

"Yeah. We fought over whether the cyborgs will either co-exist with us or become the dominate race in the world."

Ozpin didn't change his expression, but Atlas thought he was a bit surprised. "So, who started this little conflict?"

"This man named General Raiu, who wants to make the humans become extinct."

"Really? He told you that?"

"...Well, not exactly. But, I'm sure that's what he wants to do!"

Ozpin then took a sip of his mug again before speaking, "Have you even met this man in person?"

"Of course. We had an encounter, which lead to me getting severely injured and well, me taking a snooze for who knows how long."

"Interesting, someone told me of a similar war with the same cause. Though how it ended, was very... anticlimactic."

Atlas was surprised at what the professor mentioned, but then heard what he said. "What happened?"

Ozpin was quiet for quite a bit as he sipped his coffee again, lowering it before giving his answer, "Actually, I'm not sure."

Atlas was a bit shocked, "W-Wait, what do you mean by that?"

"Well, I heard that when they finally cornered the man who started all of it, he disappeared without a trace. No one knew why, they could only assume that he went into hiding."

"And when did this happen?"

"Almost two years ago as of now." He answered before sipping his coffee again.

Atlas was now deep in thought, "Two years!? I was asleep for two years..." He said to himself while the visor automatically slid back while splitting in two to reveal the rest of his face as well as his eyes, which was deep blue in color, before putting his left hand on his forehead. "Wait until Alex and Yama get a load of this."

Atlas was letting out a sigh as the professor spoke, "May I ask you a question?"

"Uh, sure." Atlas responded as he removed his hand from his forehead.

The professor continued, "Would you like to come to Beacon?"

Atlas thinks about it briefly before answering, "Yeah, sure. I don't see why not."

Ozpin gave a small smile, "Glad to hear it. But I'm curious, where did you take this "snooze" of yours?"

Atlas was quiet for a moment, thinking about where he was when he woke up. "I don't know, all I know is that I woke up in some type of ruins."

"Hmm, was it filled with boulders inside a large hole in the ground?"

Atlas looked at him suspiciously, "Maybe. What makes you think that?"

"Oh nothing, I just remembered what someone told me when they enrolled at Beacon. What was his name... Alexander?"

Atlas replaced his face with excitement, "Alex!? Tell me, did he have a black poncho with a red scarf?"

The professor sipped his coffee before answering, "Now that you mentioned it, yes."

"Where is he!?"

"Well right now, he's a full fledged hunter at Beacon. If you're lucky, he could be there right now."

"Well, what are we standing here like fools!? Let's go!" Atlas exclaimed before sprinting off down the street, Ozpin simply watched him as he came back. "Uh, which way is Beacon?"

Ozpin only chuckled in response as he walked in the other direction with Atlas following behind him.

 **Done! So, I wrote this in a way to give you guys the basics of what I plan on writing for this story, as usual. Sorry for a bit of a boring start, but the next chapter will be more eventful. Also, don't hesitate to tell me if any of the characters say or do anything "out of character". If I do, please be polite about it.**

 **So, there was a so-called "Cyborg Liberation War" that happened before this story where they fought for either coexistence or domination. As of now, it's basically at a standstill with the head honcho gone into hiding. The war had gone on for almost eight years, but even though it abruptly ended for two years now, has it really disappeared?**

 **Well, that's for another time as we have a reunion in the next chapter! Until then, see ya later!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey, fellow readers! Glad you liked the first chapter and I hope you stick around for more! Second chapter starts... now!**

 **Chapter 1: Crossing Blades**

A bullhead ship flew over to a large circular docking bay and landed, opening the side doors to let the passengers out. Atlas and Ozpin was among a few others as they got off the ship, the two started to walk in the direction where the silhouette of the academy is located. The two then walked onto the main avenue that goes to the academy. It was long and wide, with lamp posts and flag poles that hanged red flags. As the two walked down the avenue, they started a conversation to pass the time.

"If you're the headmaster of the academy and the academy teaches hunters and huntresses, does that mean that you're the strongest hunter of the academy?" Atlas wondered.

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee before giving his answer, "Being the headmaster can be interpreted as many things. Doesn't mean that the person is the strongest, it could be that the person is the most intelligent... the most experienced... or even the most stalwart."

"Judging by your appearance, you're the experienced type?" Atlas guessed.

"Like I said, it's up to interpretation." Ozpin reminded.

Atlas simply nodded in response as he glanced around. As he looks around, he sees the surroundings in the distance. The large trees that made up the forest, the water crossing by the avenue and the lust green grass that covered the ground around the academy for miles.

"When was the academy built? By the architecture of the academy, it looks like was built recently." Atlas asked.

"Actually, it was originally built eighty years ago, following the aftermath of the Great War. Ever since then, the academy has trained many varieties of huntsmen and huntresses alike that helps protect the peace between the four kingdoms." Ozpin answered.

"What are the four kingdoms?" Atlas questioned.

"The four kingdoms are known as Vale, Mistral, Vacuo, and Atlas." Ozpin listed before wondering, "Were you named after the Atlas kingdom by any chance?"

"As far as I know, it must be a coincidence. I was named that because that was the name of the project I was participating in." Atlas remembered.

"Your cybernetics were the results of this project?" Ozpin guessed.

"Yep. A cybernetic soldier capable of doing impossible tasks." Atlas remembered, looking down at his hands.

Ozpin looks at him for a moment before asking, "Did you choose to become like this?"

Atlas looks back up towards the sky as he spoke, "Choose? I volunteered for this life."

"Why is that?" Ozpin questioned.

Atlas looks straight ahead, having a clear expression on his face that tells Ozpin that it's... complicated.

"It's fine. But if you want to talk about it, don't hesitate to come to me." Ozpin offered.

Atlas glanced at him and looked forward before saying, "I appreciate it."

Ozpin then took a sip of his coffee before speaking, "Welcome to Beacon."

The two are now in front of the academy, Atlas seeing the towers that stood tall over the other buildings with the tallest one being high enough to pass the lowest clouds. The main tower also has a glowing light that looks like a clock from what Atlas could see. The two are now close to the entrance, standing in front of a large statue that is also a fountain of a huntsman and a huntress standing atop of a rock, beneath which a Beowolf Grimm cowers. Around them was a large circular pond surrounded by a pathway with a garden of red trees.

"Nice statue. I'm guessing these three are your mascots?" Atlas joked.

Ozpin had a small smirk on his face as he started walking around it, "They might be."

Atlas followed him inside the opened entrance that had large tall doors, entering a large amphitheater that was structured like an outdoor theater, except it's inside. Looking around, he sees many diverse people either walking around or having conversations in groups.

"Look around you. What you see is the next generation of hunters and huntresses. Here, they learn about the history of our world, expand and improve on their combat skills, and learn how to work together." Ozpin briefly summarized as he stopped in his tracks.

Atlas also stops in his tracks before repeating, "Work together?"

"The students are formed in groups with others on their first year, not only to teach them the importance of teamwork, but to also keep them safe as they go on missions from time to time." Ozpin explained.

"And I'm guessing that as they grow more experienced, they can go solo?" Atlas guessed.

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee before answering, "If they choose to, only after they graduate."

Atlas puts his hand on his chin as he wondered, "So this place teaches you how to slay monsters and has team building exercises? Sounds like a two for one deal."

Ozpin let out a small chuckle in response, "You could say that. Come, we'll go to my office to enroll you."

The two then walked out of the amphitheater into one of the exits that lead into one of the many halls throughout the entire academy. The walls and ceiling in the hall had a dull brown color with the floor having black tiles with a red carpet with yellow trimmings covering the inner space of the floor. As Ozpin escorted him, he then made an offer. "Would you like a tour of the academy?"

"Umm... I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass. I can adapt." Atlas declined.

"OK. I'm sure Alexander can give you a tour some other time." Ozpin mentioned.

The two then reached an elevator at the end of the hall as Ozpin pressed the up button. After only a second, the elevator doors opened and the two entered before Ozpin pressed the very top button, the elevator doors closing before moving up.

"Tell me, what has it been like being asleep for so long?" He asked.

Atlas thought about that, "It's... like being in a coma? I don't know how else to describe it."

"Any interesting dreams that come to mind?" Ozpin asked before sipping his coffee again.

"Nope. Anyways, what else do you have here?" Atlas answered, changing the subject.

Ozpin lowers his mug before speaking, "Well, not much more. I told you all there is to know about Beacon."

The elevator doors then opened and the two entered his office. Atlas looks around and the office was large, with large rectangular windows behind his desk that overlooked the entire front of the academy. The floor had three circular tiles that each covered a third of its entirety and also had another elevator right next to the elevator they got off of. Pillars went along the wall where the elevators were and the ceiling had gears of various sizes rotating constantly, along with the wall that is in the center to the right of the desk is most likely what lies behind the massive clock, which had much more gears that is in various sizes.

"You have an office that is also where the glowing clock operates?" Atlas asked.

"Quite." Ozpin simply said as he sat down in his steel chair behind his unique desk and pulled out a simple thin cylinder object with a red button on top, "Here."

He held out his hand with the object, Atlas walking over and taking it. "And this does...?" Atlas wondered.

"Pressing that button allows it to absorb a tiny portion of your Aura to the computer, giving us your bio and abilities." Ozpin briefly summarized.

"Does it hurt?" Atlas questioned.

"It should only tickle a bit." Ozpin simply said.

Atlas raised an eyebrow, but shrugged before pressing the button. Once he did, he felt a tingle for a split second before a ding sound went off, making a screen pop up on the computer. Atlas then puts the button on the desk as Ozpin looks at his bio.

"Age, blood type, species, name... everything seems to be in order." He reads as he then drinks the rest of his coffee from his mug.

"All right. Well, I'll just-" Atlas said before a beep was heard on the computer. Ozpin looks at the screen and sees that he has a call coming in. He answers it and the caller appears on the screen. It was a male, two years older than Atlas, who has medium long black hair, emerald blue eyes, a trimmed beard and tanned skin. Though the screen only showed his head, it did show his neck as well, which had a familiar dark red scarf wrapped around it.

"Professor Ozpin, it's been awhile." The caller greeted.

"Alexander, how was the mission?" Ozpin asked.

"We came up empty handed. No evidence referring to White Fang activity in Forever Falls. Except for a couple of Grimm, it was pretty boring." The caller, now named Alexander, informed.

"I see. When are you arriving back at Beacon?" Ozpin wondered as he poured coffee into his mug.

"In about two minutes after this call." Alexander answered.

"Glad to hear it. I have a surprise for you, it will waiting for you in the amphitheater." Ozpin mentioned.

"Oh, how kind of you. I'll be looking forward to it." Alexander said before the call ended.

Ozpin finished pouring his coffee and puts away the container before taking a sip of his mug.

"Now I'll see you later. And thanks." Atlas said as he enters the elevator, the doors closing before lowering it.

The elevator then dinged as it let Atlas out on the first floor, him walking down the hall back to the amphitheater. However, he failed to notice something on the floor in his way and almost tripped, hearing a whimper sound as he did. Once he regained his footing, he looks down to see a puppy. The pup had black, gray and white fur respectfully with dark gray eyes.

"Oh sorry, kid. You lost?" Atlas asked the pup as he picked him up.

The puppy just looked at him, panting with its tongue out as Atlas shrugged. "OK..."

The pup then hopped down to the ground and started walking off, stopping to turn around to face Atlas. "Do you want me to follow?"

The puppy barked in response, going ahead of him with Atlas following behind.

 **Meanwhile...**

"Zwei!" A girl called out as she walked on the stage in the amphitheater.

The girl was pretty young, 15 to be exact with a pale white complexion for her skin and unique silver colored eyes. Her hair reached her shoulders, black as the primary color with a red tint that also goes for her outfit, which is a black blouse, a black waist cincher with red lacing and a skirt with red trimmings. Though, her most distinct piece of her attire was her red hooded cloak as it slightly moved by the breeze from the opened doors.

"Where did he go this time?" The girl wondered.

She then felt something poke her leg. Looking down, she saw who she was looking for.

"Oh, there you are. You need to stop running off." She said as she picked up and held Zwei.

"So the pup's name is Zwei?" She heard a voice nearby and turned towards it, seeing a interesting hunter.

"Uh, yes it is. Sorry, I don't recognize you. Are you new to Beacon?" She asked, the hunter hopping onto the stage and walking towards her.

"Yes I am. Right now, I'm just waiting for someone." He answered before stopping to introduce himself, "Name's Atlas."

"Nice to meet you, my name is Ruby." The girl, now named Ruby, greeted.

"Ruby, nice name." He then noticed her eyes, "Whoa, you have silver eyes?"

"Uh, yeah..." She responded, feeling a bit awkward.

"Well, I've just never seen silver eyes before." Atlas admits.

"Oh... I see that you already met Zwei." She mentioned, changing the subject.

"Yeah. I bumped into him on the way to the courtyard, kid was just sitting around in the hall." He said, petting the pup's head as he did.

"Thanks for finding him, I wanted to show him to a friend of mine." Ruby mentioned.

"Oh really? Who would that be?" Atlas asked.

"His name is Alex. He's a new friend of mine I made last year." Ruby remembered.

Atlas froze for a moment before speaking, "Oh, you must have a friend who has the same name as mine."

Ruby looked at him as she tilted her head to the side, "Wait..." She then raised her head back up with a realization, "Oh, you must be that Atlas!"

"What do you mean?" Atlas wondered.

"Alex talked about having a friend who looks just like you! Wow, what a coincidence."

"Does he wear a poncho?" He mentioned with a smirk on his face.

"Yes! That and a red scarf too!" Ruby added.

"Of course. You know my Alex." Atlas reassured.

Ruby stood there for a moment like a statue before talking, "Hold on... I thought he said you were dead."

Atlas had a shocked look on his face, "What? I'm standing right here."

"He said that you were killed in a rock slide after a... building exploded? I think that's what he said." Ruby tried to remember.

Atlas thought back to when he woke up, "Rock slide... large hole... flower bouquet..." He then pieced it all together, "Oh, now that makes sense!"

"Well, glad to see that you're not dead." She awkwardly said, holding out her right hand for a handshake.

Hearing her say that made Atlas smile, "Glad to meet another friend of his." He said as he shook her hand.

Once they finished shaking hands, he then sees Ruby look over his shoulder. "Alex!"

She then ran past him and jumped off the stage towards the doors to talk to whoever she spotted, Atlas looking to where she went to see who it was.

The person she was talking was indeed Alex from earlier. He looked just like he did from the call, except now Atlas can see the rest of him. Like Atlas, he is also wearing a black carbon fiber suit that he covers with a black poncho that covers his entire torso that reaches down to his wrists and the long dark red scarf that goes down his back, reaching halfway to his waist. His blade was in its sheath on the left side of his waist, both the handle and the sheath being black in color as well.

 **(His suit is based on Jetstream Sam's suit from Metal Gear Rising colored black, the one before he joined Desperado. Anyways, back to the story.)**

Atlas then sees Ruby point at him to redirect Alex's attention towards him, Alex's face going from shock to a big grin as he jogged over to him. As he hopped up to the stage and stopped in front of him, he was briefly speechless before suddenly giving Atlas a big hug.

"You're alive!" Alex exclaimed as he tightened his hug a bit.

Atlas was caught off guard by that, but then returned it. "You know me, I'm stubborn as hell."

The two then broke the hug, "You must be the surprise. I'll have to thank the professor later. Though, I don't know how I can." Alex said, incredibly baffled.

"Some gifts you can't top, man. A reunion is one of them." Atlas remarked.

"I also see you got some new attire." Alex pointed out.

"And you're still wearing yours." Atlas mentioned.

"Hey, this is still fashionable." Alex defended.

"For a mercenary." Atlas teased.

"...OK, you got me there." Alex sarcastically admits before putting his right hand on Atlas' left shoulder, "We got a lot of catching up to do."

"And I think I know where we can start. You thinking what I'm thinking?" Atlas questioned.

Alex then laughed as he puts both hands on his hips, "How did I know you were gonna think that?"

"Because we've been doing this for years?" Atlas mentioned.

"Ah, of course." Alex remembered, sounding sarcastic.

Before Atlas pulled out his sword, Alex stopped him. "Whoa, not here. Come on, they have a combat arena here."

"Oh yeah, they do." Atlas remembered.

"You didn't know?" Alex asked as they walked off the stage.

"No, I just forgot. School is the last thing you think of that will have anything related to combat." Atlas admits.

"Oh, definitely." Alex agreed.

As the two walked towards a different exit that leads to a different hall, Atlas asks him. "Mind if we have an audience?"

"You sure you want witnesses?" Alex questioned.

"To see your ass get kicked? Yeah." Atlas retorted.

"Oh, funny." Alex remarked as Ruby followed behind them with Zwei.

After a simple walk through the hall, they entered through double doors that lead to the combat arena. From what Atlas sees, it was designed like a ring seen in tournaments, a perfect circular stage.

"This is nice." Atlas commented.

"Oh, I forgot to ask. Did you get yourself in the school program already?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, before you made that call to Ozpin." Atlas mentioned.

"OK, good. Don't wanna get carried away against you." Alex sarcastically said.

Once the two got on the stage, stage lights turned on along with two separate screens on the wall, one on each side of the other set of entrance doors. The left screen showed Atlas and the right screen showed Alex, both with health bars.

"This feels like I'm in a video game!" Atlas joked.

"I know, right!" Alex agreed.

The two then stood across from each other, both standing near the end of the stage as they had a mini showdown moment.

Atlas then pulled out his blade as his visor closed over his face, which was a high frequency model of a basic straight edge katana with a steel blade, and pointed it at Alex.

Alex then unsheathed his blade, that is a high frequency model of a masamune katana with a black colored blade, and casually held it by his side.

Ruby then appeared by the stage, acting as the referee for their match. "Ready?" She then held her hand high, "And..." She then swiped her hand down, "GO!"

The match starts, the two dashing at each other before delivering their first swing. The two blades collided, briefly being in a deadlock before the two pushed each other off. Once they landed their feet on the ground, Alex was the first to strike. He attacked with a simple three slash combo, Atlas blocking them before countering with an diagonal slash. Alex simply lean back to avoid it before delivering an upward slash. Atlas was quick to deflect it, sending the blade down to leave Alex open. He took the opportunity and swung horizontally straight at the head. Once the blade touched his forehead, it... went through?

Suddenly, Alex's body became transparent as the real one jumped over him and swings his blade down. Atlas was quick to notice and used the momentum of his attack to spin back towards him, deflecting the blade away before the two landed on the ground. Alex then started an intense assault, performing horizontal, vertical and diagonal slashes respectively. After about a full minute of the assault with Atlas blocking and parrying the slashes, Alex then spun around like a whirlwind to deliver several horizontal spin slashes towards him, Atlas actually dodging by doing backspring flips to avoid them. Upon the last spin, Atlas then landed in a crouching position and retaliated with a powerful upward slash, recoiling Alex back quite a bit when he actually blocked it with his sheath. Once Alex stopped himself from sliding any further, Atlas then went on the offensive.

Starting with three horizontal slashes, he then spun around to the left to deliver another slash before jumping over him, delivering four quick slashes as he did, which Alex blocked as well, before landing. He then deliver five vertical slashes, swinging up and down rapidly before ending the string with his blade down and followed it up with an upward diagonal slash combo, running forward as he does to make Alex back up. On the other hand, Alex was parrying all of his attacks as he backpedaled and sees Atlas jump upward to deliver a strong finishing jump slash. Ready for it, he then made himself transparent again to avoid the attack as Atlas landed before reappearing beside Atlas with his blade sheathed.

Noticing what Alex is about to do, he sees barely any option. He can't block it in time and the attack is too quick to dodge... normally. As if time slowed down in his perspective, Alex then performed a quick draw slash, swinging horizontally at Atlas' head as he bend backwards, the blade almost touching his right ear as he did before time flowed normally, Atlas flying back low to the ground from the sheer force of his swing. Landing on his shoulders three feet away from Alex, he then quickly recovered with a kip-up to his feet. As he stood up, Alex then raised his left foot up from under Atlas' blade to toss it up to his hand, grabbing it to then toss it over to Atlas, him catching it before he held it to point it towards Alex again.

"Glad to see that your reflexes haven't slowed down." Alex remarked.

"Glad to see that you're still quite the trickster." Atlas retorted.

Alex let out a chuckle before speaking, "Then let's have a clean finish, no tricks."

Atlas smirked in response before spinning his blade upwards twice before sheathing it, Alex doing the same before the two walked backwards to the separate ends of the stage across from each other. Atlas then took off his sheath and held it in his left hand like Alex.

After a brief moment, the two then sprinted at themselves, quickly closing the distance as they grabbed the handles of their blades before they were about to cross paths. Then in an instant, the two performed their quick draws, stopping just after they pass each other with their blades unsheathed. The two then were still as statues for quite awhile, making the air have such serious tension around them. The two then started to slowly sheathed their blades, coming closer and closer until two clicks were heard. Once the clicks hit, a sudden shockwave was heard from inside the stage, the two not even flinching from the force as it echoed.

It was then followed by a loud beeping sound coming from the screens, making the two notice that their health bars were in the red. However, they were barely able to hear it as applause was heard from the stands. The screens then went off as the two stood up, seeing only a few students sitting in the stands applaud them. They even heard one of the girls straight up cheer.

Atlas' visor then opened up as he spoke, "Well, there's your audience!" He pointed out.

"Think they liked the show?" Alex asked.

"No, they're clapping out of pity!" Atlas sarcastically remarked.

"Yeah, for you!" Alex shot back.

"Oh please, this one is totally for you!" Atlas shot back to him.

Alex looked at him with a straight face for a split second before bursting out laughing, Atlas having a big grin on his face as the two did a bro fist and a small hug.

"I've missed ya!" Alex mentioned as they hugged.

As the two celebrated, a woman stood by the entrance into the arena who stuck out with her long ashen black hair and bright amber eyes, who also had pale skin and her fingernails painted dark red. She wore gray pants and boots, a sleeveless beige leather jacket with light beige details, brown fingerless gloves, a sarashi tied around her chest and another around her hips, and a pauldron on her left shoulder. She also has a leather belt with multiple brown pouches attached to it.

 _"Hmm... a new player has entered our game."_ She thought as she stared at Atlas.

As the applause died down and students started leaving, she saw the two walk back towards the entrance where she was with Ruby behind them.

"That was awesome! Where did you learn how to do all that!?" Ruby exclaimed, asking the question towards Atlas.

"Well, this guy was a part of it." Atlas answered, gesturing to Alex.

"Yeah, like... half of it?" Alex guessed.

"Pretty much." Atlas confirmed.

"And the other half?" Ruby asked.

"Thank our commander for that." Atlas answered.

"And who is that?" Ruby wondered.

"I'll tell ya later." Alex reassured.

As the three past by the doors, Atlas caught a glimpse of a woman at the corner of his eye and turned his head towards her. She stood there with her arms crossed over her chest looking towards the arena as they walked away. Atlas then turned his head back to Alex, "You know that woman?"

Alex glances at the woman before answering, "No, I haven't seen her before."

Ruby takes a glance at the woman as well, "Oh, she's new here. Her team enrolled here during last year."

"Do you know her name?" Atlas asked.

"...No, she didn't tell me." Ruby admits.

Atlas then looks back towards the woman, only she wasn't there anymore. He then shrugs it off as they continued down the hall.

 **Done! So there we go, the reunion, the introduction of Ruby Rose, and the appearance of a mysterious woman. What could she be up to? What was she talking about? That's for later, of course.**

 **Hope you guys like the match! I tried to not make it too crazy, but I made sure to keep it interesting. And of course, as the story goes along, the fights will get more and more crazy. Just don't expect fights that could be described as two gods going against each other.**

 **Anyways, hope you guys like this chapter and until next time, see ya later!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey, fellow hunters and huntresses! Welcome back to Shadows of War! Last time, we reunited two best friends, introduced Ruby Rose, and a mysterious woman is watching our heroes. What will happen next? That question will be answered... right now.**

 **Chapter 2: Day of Initiation**

In an abandoned warehouse by the coast of Vale, a certain organization was organizing crates of dust with the leader looking over his current plans. The man has a pale white complexion to his skin, slanted dark green eyes and long bright orange hair with long bangs covering his right eye. He wears a black bowler hat with a red band and a small feather, along with black eyeliner. His attire consisted of a red-lined white suit with a small gray scarf around his neck, black gloves with rounded sleeves, long black pants, and black shoes. Being held in his right hand was a special cane of his as he was spinning it with relative ease around his finger.

"We have just enough dust to ship out, but losing even a pinch of it could be severe." The man wondered to himself.

One of the goons then came over, "Roman Torchwick, sir!"

The man, now known as Roman Torchwick, stopped spinning his cane and placed it firmly against the ground below before turning around.

"MR. Torchwick! It's not that hard to remember." Roman insisted.

"Sorry, sir!" The goon apologized as he bowed.

Roman narrowed his eyes, "Well, what do you want!?" He demanded.

"Oh, Mrs. Fall wanted me to give you these!" The goon mentioned, putting a scroll on the table.

Roman walked up to the table and picked up the scroll, activating it to then see three photos. As he examine the photos, all three have the same person in different shots. The first one has him standing with his visor closed, the second one has him swinging his blade in battle, and the last one has him in a close up with his visor opened. "So, we have another cybernetic hunter?" Roman nonchalantly pointed out.

"She said that this one is a close friend of Alexander." The goon mentioned.

"So... Alex has a sidekick." Roman said to himself.

The goon stood there in silence, making Roman look at him. "What are you standing around for!? Go ship those dust crates!" He ordered.

"Yes sir!" The goon accepted, running off as Roman puts the scroll on the table and lets out an annoyed sigh.

"Always got to get more complicated..." Roman said to himself before he puts his left hand on his chin, pondering. "But... it can always get more interesting."

 **Time skip: Early morning back at Beacon**

Atlas and Alex were sleeping back at Alex's room, Alex taking the bed and Atlas sleeping on the floor. Alex then started to wake up, rubbing his eyes before sitting up. He is not wearing his normal attire this time, he's now wearing a black long sleeved shirt and a pair of long grey sweatpants as he went to the bathroom to take a shower. Upon hearing the sound of running water, Atlas snapped awake and let out a large yawn as he got up to his feet. He was also wearing a pair of long grey sweatpants, but has a black tanktop on instead. Stretching out for about a full minute before scratching his now shaven beard, he then walked over to the refrigerator.

Opening the door, he sees that they only has a gallon of milk, a carton of eggs, three full bottles of cranberry grape juice, and leftover food from last night. He then took one of the grape juice bottles before closing the door. He then took off the lid and took a couple of gulps before hearing knocking at the door. He then puts the lid back on before putting the bottle on the counter and checking to see who's behind the door. Answering it, he sees Ruby.

"Morning." She greeted.

"Hey, Ruby. Need something?" Atlas asked.

"Professor wanted me to get you two for the initiation." She answered. She then realized what he's wearing, "Oh, you also have a removable suit?"

"Yeah." Atlas simply answered.

"Oh OK, I remember that Alex can also remove his." Ruby thought out loud.

"Our commander believed that cybernetics shouldn't be permanent." He answered.

"Unless you, you know, lose a limb or something." Ruby stated.

"Good point." Atlas agreed before hearing the shower turn off.

Atlas then turned his head towards the bathroom door before it opened, Alex walking out fully clothed and drying his hair off with his towel.

"Alex, we're needed at the initiation." Atlas informed him.

"Heard ya earlier." Alex mentioned.

Atlas then turned back to Ruby, "See ya there."

"OK. We'll be watching you guys!" Ruby said as she was walking away, him closing the door afterwards.

 **Ten minutes later, on top of a cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest**

Atlas, along with the other new students, are lined up on the launchpads as Ozpin and a woman beside him stood before them.

The woman appears to be middle aged with a pale white complexion to her skin, very light blonde hair tied back in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face, bright green eyes with thin ovular glasses, and dangling teal earrings that also match the hanging pendent on her collar. She wears a white long sleeved, pleated top that has a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flare in pleats at the wrist. Her lower body is covered by a black high-waist pencil skirt with bronze buttons and black-brown stockings. She also wore black boots with brown heels and a cape that is purple inside and black on the outside, the cut of the cape being stylized to end in flames and arrows with a row of diamond-shaped bronze beads on the back. Above this line of beads appears to be an emblem of a tiara that must be her personal symbol. This woman is known as Glynda Goodwitch.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin started.

"As you all should know, you will have teammates during the rest of your time here at Beacon. With that said, be sure to choose someone you can work well with." Glynda briefly informed before Ozpin continued.

"Once you've partnered up with someone, make your way to the northern end of the forest." Ozpin said before looking over at Alex. "Alexander here will be waiting for you at the destination as our "special relic" for this year's initiation."

"Special relic?" Atlas repeated.

"The first four students who meet up with Alexander will be guaranteed to be in a team together. The others will have to receive the relics that are placed at the abandoned temple and be assigned accordingly. However, this will the only time we allow this new rule." Ozpin explained before continuing, "You will meet opposition along the way. Don't hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die."

Atlas heard a couple of students gulped as the professor continued once more, "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But, our instructors will not intervene. Each pair must choose one relic and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you accordingly. Are there any questions?"

None of the students raised their hand or spoke up in response, "Good! Now, take your positions."

As the launchpads started to launch the students one by one, Alex walked over to Atlas to make small talk.

"So... you got a landing strategy?" Alex asked.

"Hmm... kind of. Though, I got that impression when they didn't give us parachutes." Atlas answered.

The students next to Atlas then launched off, "See ya at the north side." Atlas remarked as he got ready.

He then got launched into the Emerald Forest as Alex walked over to Prof. Ozpin. "So... how am I gonna get to the temple before them?"

"Mrs. Goodwitch here is going to launch you to the temple." Ozpin answered.

A purple glyph then appeared under Alex's feet, him looking down at it before looking at Glynda. She has a purple aura around her weapon of choice, which is a riding crop.

"Whenever you are ready, Alexander." Glynda simply said.

Alex nodded in response before getting ready, the glyph then glowing brighter until Alex was suddenly launched sky high towards the temple, the glyph disappearing afterwards.

"Mind telling me why you added this new rule of a special relic?" Glynda questioned.

"It would be nice to see the two of them work together after a long time." Ozpin answered before taking a sip of his coffee.

Back with Atlas, he was gliding across the sky over the forest as he started to descend. Once he got close to the trees, he pulled out his blade and got into a cannonball position with his blade pointing out above his head, spinning as he descended into the many branches. As he passes them, his blade cuts through until he got closer to the ground. He then sheathed his blade right before landing his feet on the ground, rolling to absorb the impact before getting back up. Once he did, he then started sprinting through the forest.

"OK, who shall be my first partner?" Atlas thought as he looked around.

He then heard someone move through the branches, looking up to see who it is. Even though the person was moving fast, he could see that it was a girl. He then looked ahead to run up a nearby tree trunk up to the branches and jump across them to catch up. Now caught up with her to get a better look at the girl, she appears to be seventeen in age.

She has slightly tanned skin, chocolate brown hair that reaches down her back halfway with bangs that covered her left eye and sea green eyes. She is wearing a dark blue jacket over a long sleeved black and white checkered shirt, blue skinny jeans with a chain attached to the front and back of her right hip that hangs down to above her pocket, a blue and silver headband in her hair that has a green butterfly clip on the right side, and blue sneakers with black accents.

Her weapon rested on her back that was a very unique sword. The blade was slightly thinner than a normal one in width with it being very long in length, the tip reaching just past her waist. However, the blade actually appears to be made of crystal material. It was very polished and sharp in design with it having a clear white color. The entire hilt of the sword is silver in color, having a grip that is long enough to occupy both hands and has a basic crossguard.

"Hey!" Atlas called out.

The girl jumped one last time, landing on a large branch before stopping and turning towards Atlas as he landed on the same branch.

"It's not safe to wander in the forest alone." Atlas jokingly pointed out.

The girl smirked in response, "Don't worry about me, I'm a big girl." She remarked.

"Glad to hear it, miss..." Atlas purposely said, waiting to hear her name.

"Cindy." She finished for him.

"Atlas. Nice to meet you." Atlas said, holding out his hand for a handshake.

She gladly shook his hand, "Looks like we're partners."

"Can't wait to work with you." Atlas said as they finished their handshake.

Once they did, they then heard a loud gunshot that echoed through the forest.

"Someone's close by. Only about eight feet away." Atlas quickly summarized as they looked around.

She then looked at him, "How did you..."

"Years of experience with guns." Atlas nonchalantly mentioned.

Cindy gave him a weird look in response, causing Atlas to roll his eyes a bit.

"Come on." Atlas said, starting to jump across the branches towards the sound.

She quickly followed behind him as the two went to check it out.

 **Meanwhile...**

Another gunshot was heard through the forest as another Beowolf Grimm falls to the ground, dead from a bullet to the head. The shooter lowered his gun a bit as he held it in his right hand, which was a customized heavy pistol. The handle and trigger of the pistol is black in color with the hammer and barrel being steel in color.

The shooter is a male, seventeen in age, with medium length golden colored hair, slightly tanned skin and light grey eyes. He is wearing a gold vest that goes down all the way to her ankles over a white shirt, a white fingerless glove worn on his right hand, a pair of black pants, basic black shoes, and a gold locket worn around his neck.

"Nice shooting." A voice said from behind him, making him turn towards it.

Who he sees is another male that is the same age as him. He has tanned skin, averagely long blonde hair, a scar that goes along his left cheek, and his eyes being two separate colors, his right eye being red and his left eye being blue. He wears a white long sleeved shirt under a grey lightweight hoodie that is also under a black leather jacket, a pair of grey cargo pants, and black boots. His weapon of choice is a French Cutlass that rests on his left hip in its scabbard. It was customized, having a black colored grip with a golden colored solid half-basket hilt and a steel curved edged blade sheathed in a basic black scabbard.

"Thanks. You are?" The sharpshooter simply said.

"Connor. You?" The visitor, now named Connor, answered.

"Razeluxe. Call me Raze." The sharpshooter answered.

"Well, Raze. Looks like we're partners." Connor pointed out.

"If that is right, can you keep up?" Raze questioned.

The sound of Grimm was then heard around them, a group of Beowolf and Ursa Grimm coming from the bushes to both their rights.

"We're about to find out." Connor commented as he pulled out his weapon.

Raze then raised his gun as it transformed, the barrel sliding back to form a crossguard and a steel double edged blade raised out from the middle of the barrel.

"You go left, I go right." Raze suggested.

"Fair enough." Connor shrugged before the two split.

Connor then activated a little switch on the grip of his sword, the blade separating into several segments that are connected by a razor sharp wire before he swung. The tip of the whip hits two Beowolf Grimm stationed in the front in their necks, cutting off their heads before he jumped onto a tree trunk and launched himself towards an Ursa Grimm. He then had his blade switched back to normal before delivering a thrust attack, stabbing the Grimm in the jaw upon landing and knocking it on its back. He then pulled out his blade and stabbed it in the throat, killing it before jumping up to avoid a swipe from a Beowolf. Connor then switched his blade into the whip form before swinging, the Beowolf raising its arm to block the whip and have it wrapped around its arm. Connor smirked a bit before giving it a pull, the bladed whip ripping off the Beowolf's arm. It roared out in pain before Connor swung his whip to wrap around its neck and pulled, cutting off its head.

Raze dashed towards a Ursa Grimm and simply sidestepped a slash from it before countering with a downward slash, cutting off the arm and followed it up with a diagonal slash to cut off the head. A Beowolf comes from behind to deliver a powerful swing with its right claw, only to hit nothing as Raze jumped over it. The Beowolf then turned around to swing behind itself, only to stop short as Raze fired a bullet into its skull from the crossguard, making the corpse fly back into another Beowolf. A Ursa comes from his left and runs at him to attack, only for Raze to deliver a thrust into its chest, followed up by swinging the blade up from the chest, bisecting it and its head in half before it fell back on its back.

Connor then cuts off an Ursa's right leg to make it fall on its belly before ducking under a Beowolf's swing, retaliating with an upward slash that cuts deep across its torso, slicing it in half before turning around to see the crippled Ursa trying to stand back up. Connor then jumped onto its back before finishing it off with a powerful stab into its skull. Another Beowolf jumped at him from behind, Connor responding by ducking low enough for the Beowolf to go right over him. Right as it started to go over him, he stabbed his blade into its skull before throwing it into a nearby tree.

Raze was now in a deadlock with an Ursa, both claws pushing against the blade as he tried to get it off. However, the Ursa was persistent as it pushed harder against the blade until Raze suddenly pushed it off to his left, lining up the barrel crossguard with its head before pulling the trigger, hitting a bullseye right into its eye. The Ursa fell on the ground dead as a Beowolf jumped down from above, Raze quickly rolling out of the way in response. The Beowolf was about to run at Raze, only for its neck to get wrapped by Connor's blade whip. Raze then had his sword transform back into the heavy pistol before firing a bullet, hitting it right between the eyes of the Beowolf. Connor then pulled, ripping off the head before the corpse fell forward onto the ground, the head landing on top of its back.

"How's that?" Connor asked, the blade whip reconnecting before he sheathed his weapon.

"Not bad." Raze simply said in response.

Two hunters then jumped down from the branches above and landed a few feet away from them, one male and one female.

"Hey." The male hunter called out to the two, getting their attention.

"Uh, hi." Raze greeted, a bit confused at the sudden appearance of the two.

"You two hear a gunshot here?" The hunter asked as the two walked over to them.

"My pistol." Raze answered, raising his gun a bit into view.

"Oh. Magnum?" The hunter asked.

"You could call it that. It's more of a heavy pistol." Raze answered.

"OK, are we not gonna ask who these two are?" Connor asked Raze.

"Atlas, and this is Cindy." Atlas introduced.

"Hi." Cindy simply said in response.

"Razeluxe, Raze for short. And this is Connor." Raze introduced.

"Hey." Connor greeted.

"So, with that established, why don't we head to the temple? We can continue our conversation on the way." Atlas suggested.

The other three agreed and the four went on north through the forest. As they walked past the many trees, they notice that the forest was quiet. Eerily quiet.

"Anyone else getting a bad feeling?" Connor asked.

"Who isn't?" Raze answered in response.

"Something is coming towards us. I bet that it's a large Grimm." Atlas said as he look at his surroundings. "And it's close by."

"How could you know?" Raze questioned.

"Years on the battlefield develops a sort of sixth sense, which warns me of unsuspecting danger." Atlas answered.

The three now looked at him with curious looks, "Wait, what did you say?" Cindy asked.

"I have a sixth sense?" Atlas repeated in confusion.

"No, before that." Connor corrected.

"...Years on the battlefield?" Atlas repeated.

"Yeah. What do you mean?" Raze confirmed.

Before Atlas said anything, he noticed one of the bushes straight ahead of his point of view shook a bit, making him instinctively grabbed the grip of his blade. "It's here." He said in a quieter tone.

Connor then heard a rustling bush to his left, making him pull out his sword for defense. "It's in the bushes."

Raze and Cindy got their weapons at the ready as the four scanned their surroundings. As the four stood close together back to back, the rustling in the bushes became slowly more and more apparent. Whatever it was, it was fast.

"We have to find an opening. We need more space to have a better chance." Connor advised.

"Definitely. Right now, it has an advantage." Atlas agreed as the visor closed over his face.

The four stayed in their little formation as they moved, keeping their sight scanning for any detail out of the ordinary. As they moved, Raze then started remembering something... they could have went into the trees, like that Beowolf did earlier. However, if he looked up, it would leave an opening.

"But... an attack from above is more effective in situations like this." Raze thought.

Reaching an decision, Raze then took a quick glance up to the branches to see nothing. He then looks back down... as time slowed down almost to a complete halt.

There it was, the Grimm that was stalking them. It was a Beowolf, but twice as big as a normal one. Its skull armor was darkened to a dark gray color, indicating that it had hardened over the battles it has had over the years. Its eyes was glowing a darker red with its claws being red from the rusted blood of its victims.

As Raze looks at it now, it was leaping towards him with its claws reaching for him. Given the current position, he had very little time to raise his pistol to shoot accurately at the creature. As it came closer and closer to him, he then starts to see the tip of a blade from the right of his vision. The blade was coming into view more and more until it started to go between the Beowolf's claws, with Atlas leaping into view before moving his left arm to push Raze back.

Suddenly, like a jolt of electricity, time returned to normal with Raze landing on his back and Atlas in a deadlock with the Beowolf. Interestingly, the Beowolf was surprisingly calm as it puts the pressure on the blade, Atlas staring it down for about a full minute before he pushed it back, breaking the deadlock. Atlas was keeping his guard up as the Beowolf glared at him, as if it was studying him.

"Get to a clearing, I'll keep it busy." Atlas quickly ordered.

The three were reluctant, but agreed as Cindy and Connor helped Raze to his feet, The three then ran off ahead, but the Beowolf was focusing intently on Atlas.

The Beowolf then sprinted at him on all fours, quickly closing the short distance before attacking with multiple swings at him. Despise its size, the Beowolf was really fast as Atlas was backing up to deflect the attacks more effectively. Atlas then retaliated with a few quick slashes, the swings surprisingly leaving only scratches on its arms as it blocked, before Atlas jumped back. He then dashed towards it to deliver a powerful slash, but hit nothing as the Beowolf jumped onto a nearby tree trunk. It then climbed up into the branches and started heading in the direction where the others went.

"Oh no, you don't!" Atlas called out as he sprinted after the Beowolf.

 **Meanwhile...**

Cindy, Connor and Raze finally reached a large clearing and stopped to catch their breath.

"That was something." Connor pointed out.

"Really!?" Raze questioned in frustration.

"You guys all right?" The three turned towards the voice and sees Alex.

"Yeah. Just got ambushed by a monstrous Beowolf." Cindy answered.

"Well, you got out alive at least." Alex reassured.

"Yeah, thanks to Atlas." Raze mentioned.

Alex looked a bit worried, "Wait, what do you mean?"

"He held it off so that way, we can get into a clearing to have a better chance of fighting it." Cindy explained.

The four then heard something coming in fast from the branches and next thing they knew, the monstrous Beowolf jumped out at them. Alex was the first into action and deflected a slash from the Beowolf as it then landed on the other side of them a few feet away. Atlas then came out sprinting over to the others.

"You guys all right?" Atlas asked.

"We could ask you that." Connor answered.

"Glad to see you're alive." Alex said as he walked over to Atlas.

"Stubborn as hell, remember?" Atlas reminded as Alex stood by his side.

"Of course. Come on, five versus one is enough." Alex said as the group readied their weapons for battle.

The Beowolf roared at them and glared before getting on all four legs.

"OK. Any ideas?" Atlas asked.

"One of us draw its attention first as the others flank it from different directions. It can only avoid our attacks for so long before it starts experiencing exhaustion." Connor quickly planned out.

"We go on from there." Alex confirmed.

"I call dibs!" Atlas called before dashing at the Beowolf.

The Beowolf rushed at him before swinging down upon him, Atlas sidestepping and countering with a quick slash to the skull before it swipe at him. He jumped back to dodge it before delivering a thrust attack, it blocking with its right forearm before following up with attacking with a stab attack. Atlas spun around to his left to avoid it and retaliated with a reverse grip thrust, stabbing its left eye. The Beowolf flailed like crazy as it roared, hitting Atlas back after he pulled out his sword. Atlas landed on his back, but quickly got back up to his feet with a kip-up.

The Beowolf was then attacked from behind by Alex, who delivered a quick swipe to get its attention. It swung around to hit him, only to miss as Alex simply ducked and spun around to its right to attack with three horizontal slashes on its side. It then jumped back and sprinted on all four to run around the battlefield before charging at Alex, only for him to simply hit it back with the tip of his sheath into its chin, making it flip backwards in the air before landing on its belly.

The Beowolf then stood up on all four again and got his sights set on Alex before a familiar blade whip wrapped around the Beowolf's left leg before it fell straight down, slamming onto the ground. Cindy then hopped on its back and stabbed her blade into the Beowolf's armor. It only fractured the armor as the Beowolf quickly got up on its legs, pushing itself back on its hind legs as quick as a slingshot, making Cindy lose her footing and fall on her back. She quickly got to her feet as the Beowolf turned around to face her.

A bullet then hit it in the head, stunning it for a moment as Raze fired his pistol at it. "Move!"

Cindy quickly moved out of the way as the Beowolf moved its forearms to block the bullets coming at it before rushing at Raze. Connor then switched his sword back to normal before returning it to its whip form as he ran to where Atlas and Alex was before swinging again, it wrapping itself around the Beowolf's neck. As it closed the distance between it and Raze, he pulled to slow it down in its tracks to a halt.

"Cindy!" Atlas called out as he started running towards the Beowolf from behind.

She then sprinted by him as he then leaped out in front of her with his back towards the Beowolf and cupped his hands together near his waist. She then hopped up to place her left foot into his hands before he leaned back and launched her straight at the Beowolf. She came in fast as she did a front flip to then perform a high flying kick, her right foot hitting the pommel of her sword upon impact. The sheer force of her kick sent her entire sword straight through the Beowolf's chest and flying right into a tree trunk. She then leaped off the monster's back and landed on the ground a few feet away as the others went to her side.

"That should do it." Cindy commented as Connor reconnected his blade.

The Beowolf stood there like a statue for quite a bit before it fell forward, landing on the ground as a corpse.

Raze pulled out Cindy's sword as Atlas spoke, "You know what I've realized?"

"What?" Alex asked.

"We're the first ones here." Atlas answered, looking around.

The others looked around to see nobody else. "So, this means..." Connor said.

"Well, if I recall correctly, the first four who finds me is an official team. Congrats." Alex reminded as Raze came over to give Cindy her sword.

"Hope you guys like that idea." Atlas commented.

"I'm in." Cindy said as she puts her sword on her back.

"Same." Connor agreed as he sheaths his sword.

"Fine by me." Raze agreed as well.

 **Meanwhile...**

A hunter was battling with a Death Stalker Grimm, firing ember shots at its face as he ran around. He then sees its stinger coming in fast, responding to it by turning into smoke as the stinger came down, letting it go through harmlessly before the smoke cloud launched up and dived down to slam itself against its back. It actually cracked its exoskeleton quite a bit as the Death Stalker was stunned for a bit. The hunter then returned to normal at a safe distance as he stared it down.

The fire wielder is eighteen in age, who has tanned skin, mid length dark red hair, golden yellow eyes, and a long scar over his right eye. He is wearing a black sleeveless shirt, black full fingered gloves, crimson red pants, and black high top converse sneakers.

"You know, despite your appearance, you're not very threatening." The hunter taunted towards the Death Stalker.

The Death Stalker hissed in response, only to then get shocked by a quick blue lightning bolt from a small storm cloud in the sky above it. The person who conjured the bolt appeared in a quick burst of electricity beside the hunter, revealing to be a fellow huntress.

"I think this Grimm is very hard headed. Don't you think, Ember?" The huntress commented as she puts her left elbow on his right shoulder to lean on.

The electric wielder is seventeen in age, who also has tanned skin, short shaggy spiky brown hair, and electric blue eyes. She is wearing a black unzipped lightweight jacket over a white tanktop, brown fingerless gloves, white knee shorts that has a black leather belt with a silver buckle, and dark blue running shoes with black straps.

"Ah of course, the skull is covering its ears." Ember sarcastically retorted.

"Now Light, I think this monster doesn't even have a brain in it." Another hunter remarked.

The Death Stalker's pincers was then stabbed at where they connected with the arms, cutting them right off as two large swords of ice pierced them from above. The hunter was then casually walking towards the two from behind the trees as the electric huntress spoke.

"You sure? Then again... if it did, it would have ran away by now." Light agreed with the hunter.

The ice wielder was also eighteen in age like Ember, who has pale skin, violet colored eyes, and shoulder length ice cold blue hair. He is wearing a pair of thin rectangular glasses, a pure white zipped up hoodie with the hood over his head, a brown long sleeved shirt under the hoodie, brown full fingered gloves, dark blue cargo pants, and black sneakers.

"Nice shot, Mizu." Ember complimented.

"Always accurate with my shots." Mizu commented.

The Death Stalker then finally decided to charge at them, stinger raised high as it drew close. The three just stood there as it got close, bringing its stinger down upon them. Suddenly, a large earth wall then raised to separate the three from the monster, blocking the stinger as a result. As the Death Stalker tried to pull its stinger out, another huntress appeared on top of the earth wall as she landed on it by a gentle wind.

The huntress on the earth wall is also seventeen in age, who has peach skin, ocean blue eyes, and shoulder length forest green hair. She is wearing a green sleeveless turtleneck under a shot hooded black cloak, long black armbands, a green combat skirt with short black tights underneath, and red ankle high sneakers.

"Beat it down, Terra!" Light called out to her.

The huntress, now named Terra, then clenched her fists before delivering a straight punch in the air towards the Death Stalker, a shockwave created with wind fired at it, slamming into it. She then did another straight punch with her left fist, then again with her right fist, and this continued as the monster's exoskeleton cracked more and more under the repeated assault. After about eight shockwave punches, the exoskeleton has broken, revealing its skin inside as she then called back to the others.

"Ember, ignite a flame for me!" She called out, Ember responding by firing a small flame with his left hand towards Terra.

She then caught the flame with a small sphere created by a very gentle breeze before raising it above her head, amplifying it by swirling the winds around it to make the flame grow. After a few seconds, she has a large fireball over her head as the stinger started to break loose from the earth wall. Right as it got loose, she fired as the stinger was flying back, having the fireball land right into the exposed skin on top of the Death Stalker. The fireball exploded upon impact, leaving a dead corpse to burn in the flames as Terra used the wind to glide back down to the others.

"Nice job, Terra." Ember complimented.

"Yeah! You grilled it up real nicely." Light cheered as she jumped a bit in excitement.

"Not bad." Mizu simply commented.

"Thanks. It was nothing, really." Terra said as she sheepishly scratched the back of her head.

"Let's keep moving, the temple's not far from here." Ember mentioned as he starts to walk towards the temple seen over the trees, the other three following behind him.

 **Done! God damn, I can't believe I typed all of this in one chapter. And what's worst, I'm still not done! I still have the finale of the initiation and the formation of the new teams. So, remember when I said that I'm using the team from my last RWBY attempt? Well, the three characters in Atlas' team are from friends of mine. Let's list them off:**

 **Cindy created by: TomboyGirl123**

 **Connor created by: Cheezel1993**

 **Raze created by: Glimpse the Hedgehog**

 **Go and check them out, they're awesome people!**

 **As for the second team, those four I actually created myself in my free time. Yeah I know, kinda selfish of me. But, I have a good reason in terms of story and that will be revealed soon.**

 **As for the "special relic" rule, I just wanted a way to have Atlas and Alex have a team up battle and that's what gonna happen next chapter. So, thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey, everyone! Back with the finish of the initiation! Unfortunately, I'm still not done introducing characters in the story. I think after this chapter, I still have to introduce the rest of Team RWBY and Team JNPR. But, I think that will be the last time I'll be introducing characters... for the time being. Anyways, here's the finale and I hope you guys like it!**

 **Chapter 3: Unexpected Visitor**

Alex, Atlas, Cindy, Connor, and Raze walked to a shrine containing the relics for the other teams placed on the pedestals. There were two of each class from chess, both in gold and black to add up to twenty total.

"During a normal initiation, you guys needed to take one of these pairs with you to form a team. However, since you were the first team here to meet me, you don't need to." Alex informed them.

"Nice to know." Connor commented.

"So, once we got them, we make our way back to the cliff?" Raze remembered.

"Yep. Just gotta head down to where the rows of pillars are and the ruins are right past them." Alex confirmed.

"Seems pretty simple." Cindy commented.

They then heard some bushes rustling nearby and sees another team emerge.

"Hey look, actual people." Connor pointed out.

"As in people like us? You must be kidding." Atlas joked.

"Ha ha, hilarious." The redhead in the group shrugged off as he went and picked up one of the black knight pieces.

"You gotta admit, they're trying." The shaggy haired one complimented as she grabbed the other black knight piece.

"Anyways, who are you?" Raze asked the new group.

"Ember, Mizu, Terra, Light." The redhead, now introduced as Ember, answered as he gestured to who's who.

"Atlas, Alex, Cindy, Connor, Raze." Atlas introduced in the same fashion as Ember, gesturing to who's who.

A awkward silence went through the air for only a couple of seconds before Alex spoke, "I'm guessing you guys are going the same way?"

"Yep. Let's get going. I just want to go take a nap." Ember answered as he cracked his neck a bit.

The group then got going to the ruins. The walk there was actually uneventful, the group was just silent and the forest was quiet. After a surprising short amount of time, they were now walking on the pillar path to the temple. As they do, a unsettling presence watched them from above.

 **Meanwhile**

Ozpin and Goodwitch were watching the group from one of the many cameras that was set up in the forest, also noticing the suspicious person. He was stationed at the remains of the temple, sitting on top of the tallest pillar as he watched the group with a grin.

The man looked like he was in his early twenties, with pale skin, a stubble beard, and medium length platinum hair with black highlights at the tips and bangs on the right side of his face, reaching just over his right eye with his left eye being blue in color as he watched. He was wearing a white buttoned up coat, black full fingered gloves, red and black colored camo pants, and black combat boots. He wore on his back, a double edged buster sword, the grip in classic black and the blade being stainless steel.

"Who is that?" Glynda questioned.

Ozpin was silent as he took a sip of his coffee.

 **Back with the group**

They reached the cliff where the temple resides, the bridge that lead to it broken from last year's initiation.

"So, we're here. What happens now?" Atlas asked.

"We should get back to the top of the cliff." Alex answered.

Atlas looks at the cliff on the other side of the ruins, but something else caught his eye. "Alex..."

"Yeah?" He responded, then looking at where Atlas is looking, only staring in silence.

The two were looking at the person who was sitting on a tall pillar at the temple. The person then stood up to his feet before he jumped sky high, easily going over the broken bridge and the group as he then tossed his buster sword into the air, the blade stabbing into the ground upon landing a few feet away with the wielder landing on the pommel of the hilt with his right foot. Atlas and Alex walked past the group as they unsheathed their blades.

"OK, can we at least get some context here?" Cindy asked.

"...A ghost has returned." Atlas simply answered.

The man stood on the top of his sword for a moment more before simply dropping down to the ground, bouncing a bit upon landing before standing up straight.

"Welcome back from the dead!" The man exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

"Not dead, just needed a power nap." Atlas called out as he pointed his blade at the visitor.

"Same thing. So, enjoying your time here at Beacon so far?" The man asked as he rubbed his hands together a bit.

"Actually, yes. Though the initiation is quite tiring." Atlas answered.

"Well, you know what they say, you have to work for it to earn it." The man stated before separating his hands.

"Enough beating around the bush! What are you doing here?" Alex demanded.

"Oh, just seeing how my two favorite troublemakers are up to." The man simply answered.

"OK seriously, who is this?" Connor questioned.

"General Raiu, a man who isn't human." Alex answered without taking his eyes off the visitor.

The man, now known as General Raiu, grinned, "Aww, you do remember my name. Hopefully, the rest of you got that memorized!"

Atlas and Alex walked a few steps towards the general, "Yeah, for your funeral." Atlas threatened rather coldly.

Raiu whistled in response, "How dark for you to say, kid." He then grabbed the grip of his buster sword with his right hand before pulling it out of the ground, twirling it twice without effort before letting the blade rest on his right shoulder. "I've missed that." He said with a rather psychotic grin on his face.

The two then sprinted at him from both directions and closed in on him, Raiu starting out with a large horizontal swing with his buster sword. Alex jumped into the air and Atlas ducked to avoid the attack to counter, Alex delivering a quick swipe at his head and Atlas delivering a power swing at his torso. The two attacks connected, but Raiu simply shrugged them off as he retaliated with a upper swing at the air, Alex blocking with his sword as the attack connected, knocking him out of the air.

Alex was quick to recover as Raiu then quickly held his sword over the shoulder to block his back as Atlas swung at him from behind, quickly spinning a full 360 before delivering a very strong horizontal swing surprisingly fast, Atlas barely managing to roll away to dodge it. The buster sword landed into the ground as Raiu then got hit by a downward swing from Alex on his back. Raiu actually barely flinched at the attack as Alex jumped away, Atlas then retaliating with a vertical swing from above straight at Raiu. However, Raiu swung his sword horizontally in a wide motion to counter, Atlas able to block with his sword before he was actually carried by the momentum of the swing, getting sent flying in the air before landing next to Alex.

"You do know you were, what was it... out of sync?" Raiu taunted.

"Alex, he took the hits like it was nothing." Atlas pointed out.

"Makes sense. Remember, he's a tank. We have to wear him down somehow." Alex reminded.

A gunshot was then heard as the bullet actually hits Raiu's head, only for him to respond to it by scratching his head at where the bullet struck. He then looked at who shot him, seeing Raze with his pistol raised at him.

"You know, I'm never annoyed by bullets, but I rather have this fight be personal." Raiu retorted before his sword transformed, the entire blade moves up to the tip before spreading out, making it look like a double sided war axe with the rod placed in the center of the crossguard. He then spun it once above his head before slamming the axe into the ground, the area of impact spread out in front of him in a wide range all the way to the group, making the earth under the group crumble and made them fall off the cliff.

"NO!" Atlas shouted out before charging at Raiu in rage.

Raiu switched from his right hand to his left before he swung upwards towards Atlas, dragging the axe in the ground before it came out to attack. Atlas sidestepped it and retaliated with a power swing at his head, only for Raiu to actually grab the blade with his right hand to stop it. Atlas tries to get his blade out of his grip, but it was barely even able to move in his hand as Raiu started talking.

"Just like last time, you couldn't stop me." Raiu taunted as his sword reverted back to normal before putting it on his back and looked at him with his psychotic grin.

"SHUT UP!" Atlas yelled in retaliation as he then delivered a powerful haymaker with his right hand, hitting directly in Raiu's face that made his head harshly cock back from the force.

"Not bad, but let me show a real punch." Raiu retorted before he pulled the blade held in his hand towards himself, making Atlas go towards him and delivered a straight punch to his chest, making him fly into a tree trunk. Atlas hits the ground as Raiu looks at Atlas' blade in his hand.

"And didn't even bother to upgrade your weapon? You're just asking to get killed." Raiu insulted before grabbing the hilt with his other hand and broke the sword in two like a twig, then tossing the two parts away.

Atlas was getting up to his feet as Raiu walked towards him before Alex suddenly appeared in front of him like a flash, delivering a quick flurry of slashes before finishing with a power strike, knocking Raiu back a bit. Alex jumped back to then help Atlas up.

"Good job, now you have no blade." Alex scolded as Atlas stood on his feet.

"Doesn't mean I can't fight. You remember, we practiced our combinations like this before, in the case one of us got disarmed." Atlas reminded.

"Oh yeah. All right, let's try this again." Alex encouraged as the two got ready.

Raiu then pulled out his sword and twirled it once before stabbing it into the ground, leaving it in the ground as he clenched his fists. "Come on!"

Alex started by charging at Raiu and delivered a flurry of slashes again before finishing with an upward slash that propelled himself into the air, Atlas then sprinting from under him as he then followed it up with a quick barrage of punches, Raiu blocking some with his forearms and actually let some of them hit him on purpose. Atlas then punched him straight across the face before Raiu retaliated by spinning around and hitting with a backhand swing, the impact actually hitting Atlas's visor so hard that it broke, sending the right half flying as a result. Atlas recovered by performing a backspring flip and jumping in the air to deliver a roundhouse kick to his head, making Raiu stumble back a bit before Alex jumped back in.

He then delivered a barrage of powerful slashes that Raiu blocked with his forearms before he raised both of them to block the blade, the two being in a deadlock that was cut short, thanks to Atlas running around and delivering a left hook to Raiu's head. Raiu spun around to swing a right hook at Atlas, only to hit air as Atlas ducked and countered with a uppercut to his chin. Atlas then followed up with a body punch combo before Raiu caught one of them and delivered a right hook again, this time hitting the other half of his visor to make it fly off as well. He then threw Atlas over his shoulder to make him fly, only for him to recover and land on a tree trunk to bounce right back at him. Atlas then performed a dropkick, hitting Raiu's chest on impact and push himself off to make Raiu actually fly off his feet.

Raiu landed on his back before quickly recovering with a backwards roll back to his feet as Alex comes in again. He attacks with four horizontal slashes before Raiu retaliated with a right hook, only to hit an afterimage of Alex as he then felt five slashes hit his back. Raiu then spun around to attack with a backhand swing, only to hit another afterimage as he then heard a click sound behind him. He turns around to see Alex with his sword sheathed, laying horizontally in the air before Raiu held up his forearms in a cross formation as Alex performed a downward vertical quick draw slash, unleashing a crescent wave of energy that pushes Raiu back into a tree, exploding on impact as Alex landed on his feet, sheathing his sword after he did.

"I bet you felt that." Alex taunted.

Upon saying that, the earth suddenly broke apart under his feet as Raiu then jumped right towards him like a bullet, delivering a powerful haymaker to send Alex flying into a tree, breaking it in half on impact as Alex was knocked out cold.

"Alex!" Atlas called out as he then charged at Raiu as he landed.

He then tried to deliver a straight punch, only for Raiu to catch his fist and spin him around before throwing him high into the air. Atlas quickly recovered, only for Raiu to jump right up to him and delivered a overhead smash to send Atlas into the ground. Raiu landed on the ground and walked over to the shallow hole that the impact created as Atlas was getting up, then grabbing him by the back of his neck and throwing him like a javelin into another tree trunk, it bending on impact as Atlas hits it and lands on the ground, his aura actually fully depleted at this point.

Raiu then started walking towards him again as he then struggled to his feet and recklessly charged at him, delivering an assault of punches. This time, Raiu was either blocking or countering with a punch of his own every other time. Surprisingly, after almost a full minute of Atlas continuing his assault, it then came to an end as Raiu grabbed his right fist with his left hand and swung him around completely once before pulling him in, delivering a powerful clothesline that made him flip backwards fast enough to land on his back. Atlas now laid there, barely able to even move at this point as Raiu stared at a tree that he can see a camera on a branch.

"Do I have your attention now?" Raiu questioned as he walked towards the camera and took it off. He then held it at arm length and pointed it towards himself as he continued, "Good, as I will like to address the audience on who am I, why am I here, and what is my motivation for all of this."

The students could only watched from the amphitheater as the screen showing the initiation showed the man who not only hijacked it, but basically defeated Alex and Atlas, began his speech.

"My name is General Raiu, a man who has begun a war ten years ago about liberating cyborgs from the humans, making them become independent from them. But ever since I went into hiding two years ago, which abruptly ended it, I began to watch the world around me."

He then started walking to where Atlas is as he continued, "The White Fang, how they believe that by retaliating with terrorism, believing that they are justified in doing so in order to finally get the humans to realize who they actually are, was a fatal mistake. They were doomed the second they started all of these acts of violence, believing that through all of this that the humans will finally accept them. But clearly, it actually hasn't really changed that much from back then to now. All they had to do was simply grow over the hate, proving to the humans that they weren't who they think they were. Sadly, the peaceful leader stepped down before they even could."

He then stopped walking as he continued some more, "My answer as to why he did? He just lost hope. He probably let it slip into his mind that the world will never change their opinions about the Faunus. Personally, I wouldn't blame him if I was in his position, forced to watch his own kind be treated like wild animals as he was being given empty promises. Oh, before you even assume, I'm not associated with the White Fang in any way. Actually, I highly doubt they're even fighting for the freedom of their kind at this point. The one pulling the strings are manipulating them, making them believe that what they are doing is justice, when it's not."

"But, no need to fear anymore. I decided to end all of that, starting today. All the humans having hatred for the Faunus, disposed of. The White Fang, gone off the face of Remnant. I could probably be done with this before you even realized it. The two races will finally come together and start anew, like a beautiful flower blossoming in the cold winter. Now, as for why I'm here..."

He then turned the camera to show Atlas, who was still motionless on the ground. "This boy and his best friend are just two of the main reasons as to why the war took place. I have a code of my own that I have made before the war was even a thing, and that is I will only attack those who choose to stand in the way of my cause. These two chose to stand in my way back then and well, this is a possible outcome. Basically, I just wanted to tie up loose ends. But don't worry, I won't kill them... yet."

He then turned the camera to show his face again, "As for the rest of you, you will not be harmed in the making of this cause. You have actually accepted the Faunus, treating them out of actual respect... not out of fear. So, enjoy your life as the wrongs in this world... will be corrected."

He then crushed the camera in his hand before opening it, letting the remaining pieces fall on the ground before he looked at Atlas.

"Atlas, I know you heard all of that. Seriously, you're just laying there, listening as you can't even move for the time being." He then crouched down next to Atlas, "You still need to improve your skills if you want to actually beat me, or even Alexander at least. And If you want to know why I made that speech... well, time can change a man. I first wanted to liberate cyborgs, but now... there's no point to it. It was a lost cause from the start, I'll admit. Now seeing the real suffering of this world, I changed my cause to a more noble one."

"And what makes you think... I would believe that?" Atlas weakly said, doubting him.

"Well, you don't have to." Raiu simply answered.

"A man who is... entirely cybernetic... wanting to fight for a race completely different... from himself... how selfless of you." Atlas admits.

Raiu then stood up and walked towards his sword, pulling it out of the ground and putting it on his back as Atlas turned his head towards him.

"But if what you say is true... I'm not gonna stand in the way of your new cause... I just want to finish... what we've started." Atlas said.

Raiu looked over his shoulder and actually gave a genuine smile, which caught Atlas off guard a bit. "I'll be looking forward to that. But, not until I fix this world."

Raiu then turned his head back forward and walked, disappearing into the forest as Atlas watched him go. About what seemed to be a long time of listening to the quietness of the forest, he then hears something land on the ground to his right. Turning his head towards the side, he saw the others coming to him and Alex.

"I told you we should have come up to help!" Ember scolded Terra.

"It's fine..." Atlas defended, "I don't blame you for not attacking him. He's very strong."

"My point still stands!" Ember retorted before taking a deep breath.

"Hold still." Terra said to Atlas as she held out her arms.

Her aura then seems to flow around her body as the wind picked up around them, Atlas then feeling his body getting healed. After about a full minute, Terra stops and breathed out as Atlas got up to his feet.

"How did you do that?" Atlas asked.

"Terra can use nature to heal her teammates, in exchange for draining a portion of her own aura." Mizu answered.

"A combatant with healing abilities, nice." Atlas complimented.

After waking up and healing Alex, the group returned to Beacon, where they held the team ceremony. After announcing the other teams, Ember and his group walked onto the stage as Ozpin spoke.

"Ember Bloodgrave, Mizu Frostsnow, Terra Morrowind, and Lightspeed Tracer. The four of you obtained the black knight pieces. You will now be known as team EMTL (Elemental), led by... Ember Bloodgrave." Ozpin announced as the four stood side by side.

Team EMTL then walked off the stage as Atlas and his group walked onto the stage, Ozpin waiting for the four to stand side by side before he spoke.

"Atlas, Razeluxe Maverick, Connor Jenkins, and Cindy Nocturne. The four of you were the first to obtain our special relic for this year's initiation, and now you will be known as team ARCC (Ark), led by... Atlas." Ozpin announced.

The newly formed team ARCC walked off the stage as Ozpin spoke to himself, "This is gonna be an interesting year."

 **Done! Enjoyed the finale? Glad to hear it! So, I have something to tell you guys.**

 **As you can tell, General Raiu was supposed to be the main villain of this story. But the more I thought about his character, the more he started to become more of an anti-hero. His motivation and personality changed over time, him having more of a dual personality and attitude.**

 **The dual personality only comes into play when he switches from passive to hostile in combat.**

 **His motivation was originally replacing humanity with cyborgs, but changed to fixing the errors of the world. The former motivation was already done before in other series.**

 **As for who the actual villain is... the White Fang, why not? But like Raiu said in his speech, that is what I'm gonna be doing with them in the story.**

 **Oh, as to why I got rid of Atlas' sword and visor:**

 **The visor was mainly just there, so I destroyed it. Though, I can bring it back later if I change my mind.**

 **I actually came up with new weapons for Atlas so, I hope you guys like it when it debuts.**

 **And as a reminder of the two new teams:**

 **Team EMTL (Elemental)**

 **Team ARCC (Ark)**

 **So, hope you guys like this chapter and I'll see you later!**


End file.
